Biodiversity interactions
Biodiversity Interactions
What is Soil Biodiversity?
Soil biodiversity includes the living organisms and their interactions with each other, along with plants in the soil. Soil biota varies with environment, from the other side of the world, a country, or even a tree. For example, a handful of soil from one spot on the forest floor may contain a very different selection of life from soil two feet away. This is because of variations in the availability of water or nutrients. [3] This immense variety serves as a cause for the many interactions, effects, and services that this ecosystem creates and contributes to. The benefits gained from this ecological environment affect not only the sub-terrestrial, but the surrounding environment as well.
The Benefits
Soil is a vital part of the environment. The benefits of biodiversity interactions within the soil support many ecosystem functions. The biota processes waste organic matter in order to sustain terrestrial life, regulate the water cycle and the carbon flux, decontaminate the soil and air due to pollution, and essentially provide us with medicine. (antibiotics) [2]
Carbon Cycle
- Through photosynthesis, plants draw carbon out of the air to form carbon compounds. The plant then exudes what it doesn't need for growth through its roots to supply soil organisms, where the carbon is then rendered stable, giving soil its structure, fertility, and water retention capabilities as well. [4]
- When plants and animals die, they are decomposed into the soil by the biota. The carbon then leaves their bodies and is sent back into the atmosphere.